Hi,
I recently was shopping to upgrade my Macbook (five years old, first Intel cpu) and thought it would be wise to check out Windows machines. I liked Windows 7 well-enough, but the hardware--roughly comparable to the Macbook Pro in terms of CPU, RAM and hard drive for substantially less money--was just unpleasant to use. It felt rough. So after trying them out in the store I bought a 2011 Macbook Pro 13".
For me, the user experience on Apple products is much better, and it matters to me quite a bit. Call me a fanboy, but I appreciate the attention to detail in Apple products and the beauty of the design and execution. Apple products, including the Macbook Pro, are smooth.
One reason this matters to me is that in most areas of my life, I don't use or have access to really solid craftsmanship and beautiful things. My car rattles, my furniture is inexpensive, my office computer is a scavenged PC, etc. My Macbook Pro brings smooth power and quality into my life--the user experience is, for me, delightful. It makes my day just a little better.
Wondering why a Macbook Pro is like satin underpants? As the research excerpt below says, "Everything seems easy in satin underpants." In other words, a smooth user experience carries over and makes other parts of our lives seem smoother. Here is an article about this:
How to Make Everything Seem Easier
"Most of us have grown accustomed to the idea that our moods, and even our judgments, can be influenced by unrelated experiences of sight and sound - we feel happier on sunny days, more relaxed when listening to certain kinds of music, and more likely to lose our tempers when it's hot and humid. But very few of us have even considered the possibility that our tactile experience - the sensations associated with the things we touch, might have this same power.
New research by Joshua Ackerman, Christopher Nocera, and John Bargh shows that the weight, texture, and hardness of the things we touch are, in fact, unconsciously factored into our decisions about things that have nothing to do with what we are touching.
For instance, we associate smoothness and roughness with ease and difficulty, respectively, as in expressions like "smooth sailing," and "rough road ahead." In one study, people who completed a puzzle with pieces that had been covered in sandpaper later described an interaction between two other individuals as more difficult and awkward than those whose puzzles had been smooth. (Tip: Never try to buy a car or negotiate a raise while wearing a wool sweater. Consider satin underpants instead. Everything seems easy in satin underpants.)
J. Ackerman, C. Nocera, and J. Bargh (2010) Incidental haptic sensations influence social judgments and decisions. Science, 328, 1712- 1715.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Wv1LT/www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-success/201012/the-top-10-psychology-studies-2010"
I recently was shopping to upgrade my Macbook (five years old, first Intel cpu) and thought it would be wise to check out Windows machines. I liked Windows 7 well-enough, but the hardware--roughly comparable to the Macbook Pro in terms of CPU, RAM and hard drive for substantially less money--was just unpleasant to use. It felt rough. So after trying them out in the store I bought a 2011 Macbook Pro 13".
For me, the user experience on Apple products is much better, and it matters to me quite a bit. Call me a fanboy, but I appreciate the attention to detail in Apple products and the beauty of the design and execution. Apple products, including the Macbook Pro, are smooth.
One reason this matters to me is that in most areas of my life, I don't use or have access to really solid craftsmanship and beautiful things. My car rattles, my furniture is inexpensive, my office computer is a scavenged PC, etc. My Macbook Pro brings smooth power and quality into my life--the user experience is, for me, delightful. It makes my day just a little better.
Wondering why a Macbook Pro is like satin underpants? As the research excerpt below says, "Everything seems easy in satin underpants." In other words, a smooth user experience carries over and makes other parts of our lives seem smoother. Here is an article about this:
How to Make Everything Seem Easier
"Most of us have grown accustomed to the idea that our moods, and even our judgments, can be influenced by unrelated experiences of sight and sound - we feel happier on sunny days, more relaxed when listening to certain kinds of music, and more likely to lose our tempers when it's hot and humid. But very few of us have even considered the possibility that our tactile experience - the sensations associated with the things we touch, might have this same power.
New research by Joshua Ackerman, Christopher Nocera, and John Bargh shows that the weight, texture, and hardness of the things we touch are, in fact, unconsciously factored into our decisions about things that have nothing to do with what we are touching.
For instance, we associate smoothness and roughness with ease and difficulty, respectively, as in expressions like "smooth sailing," and "rough road ahead." In one study, people who completed a puzzle with pieces that had been covered in sandpaper later described an interaction between two other individuals as more difficult and awkward than those whose puzzles had been smooth. (Tip: Never try to buy a car or negotiate a raise while wearing a wool sweater. Consider satin underpants instead. Everything seems easy in satin underpants.)
J. Ackerman, C. Nocera, and J. Bargh (2010) Incidental haptic sensations influence social judgments and decisions. Science, 328, 1712- 1715.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Wv1LT/www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-success/201012/the-top-10-psychology-studies-2010"
